Rinko Kikuchi Breaks Down Five Dances in ‘Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!’

Rinko Kikuchi dances her way through “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” — and now audiences can watch her explain how she did it.

Kikuchi and the film’s director, Josef Kubota Wladyka, have broken down five key dance sequences from the film in a new video presentation. The actress and filmmaker walk through the choreography scene by scene, offering a rare, detailed look at how the film’s most physical moments were constructed.

The segment centers on movement as a storytelling device. Rather than treating dance as decoration, the breakdown frames each of the five sequences as a distinct dramatic beat, with Kikuchi’s performance carrying the emotional weight of the film’s choreography.

Kikuchi, long known for physically committed screen work, is shown here in a register that leans into rhythm, gesture and comic timing. The title itself — “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” — signals the film’s playful spirit, and the five sequences the pair dissect bear that out.

Wladyka, directing, appears alongside his lead to discuss the sequences from the other side of the camera. A director-and-actor breakdown of this kind offers two perspectives at once: how the dances were imagined on the page and how they were executed on the day.

The format is a familiar one to film audiences — the anatomy-of-a-scene video, in which filmmakers narrate over footage from the finished film. What distinguishes this installment is Kikuchi’s presence as both performer and commentator, speaking to choices made in the body rather than in dialogue.

Five sequences, one actress, one director: the breakdown keeps its focus tight. Each dance moment receives its own examination, with the pair addressing how the sequence fits into the film as a whole.

For viewers who have seen “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!”, the breakdown functions as a companion piece — a chance to rewatch the dances with their makers as guides. For those who have not, it doubles as an invitation: the sequences on display make the film’s tone legible in a matter of minutes.

The video arrives as part of the film’s continued rollout, extending the conversation around Kikuchi’s performance beyond the theatrical experience. Watch it, then watch the film again — the dances will not look the same.